Beer Consumption in the Czech Republic Falls to Historic Low, Exports Also Weaken

Breweries in the Czech Republic recorded a significant decline in production, domestic consumption and exports last year. Beer consumption per capita fell to the lowest level since records began.

Beer consumption in the Czech Republic fell to its lowest level since records began last year. At the same time, exports also declined. While non-alcoholic beer continued to grow, breweries as well as many restaurants and pubs are struggling with changing consumption habits and falling demand.

Czech breweries produced a total of 19.96 million hectolitres of beer last year. This corresponds to a decline of 4.3 per cent compared to 2024. According to the Czech Brewers and Maltsters Association (Český svaz pivovarů a sladoven), around 894,000 fewer hectolitres were brewed than in the previous year and even 1.6 million hectolitres fewer than in 2019 before the pandemic.

Foto: Des Récits | Unsplash

“Compared to the period before Covid, around 320 million large Czech beers (0.5l) fewer were consumed last year in the Czech Republic and abroad,” said Tomáš Slunečko, executive director of the Czech Brewers and Maltsters Association. He added that only the pandemic-affected year 2021 had been weaker over the past ten years.

Per capita consumption also continued to decline. On average, each resident of the Czech Republic drank 121 litres of beer last year – a new historic low. Compared to 2024, this corresponds to around eight fewer large beers per person, according to the association.

Alongside declining domestic demand, exports also weakened. Exports of Czech beer fell by 8.2 per cent year-on-year. In 2024, exports had still reached a record level, particularly thanks to strong demand from neighbouring countries such as Germany and Slovakia.

“We are not the only ones observing declining beer consumption – other brewing associations across Europe are seeing the same trend. Particularly in important export markets such as Germany or Slovakia, less beer is being consumed today than in the past,” Slunečko said.

Growth was once again recorded exclusively in non-alcoholic beer, including flavoured variants. Production in this segment rose by four per cent to 1.68 million hectolitres. Over the past ten years, consumption of non-alcoholic beer in the Czech Republic has more than doubled. International interest in these products is also continuing to grow.

Foto: Fábio Alves | Unsplash

Fewer and Fewer Beers in Pubs and Restaurants

The change in consumption habits is particularly visible in the hospitality sector. More and more people are drinking beer outside restaurants and pubs. The share of beer consumption in hospitality venues fell to just 28 per cent of domestic demand last year.

According to the association, many consumers today are paying greater attention to a healthier lifestyle and consuming alcohol more consciously. Increasingly, quality is taking precedence over quantity.

For many restaurants and pubs, this development is becoming an increasing problem. Falling visitor numbers and rising operating costs are putting particular pressure on smaller businesses in regions and small towns.

Lager Beer Remains Dominant

Among beer types, the trend in favour of classic lager beers continued. Beers with an original gravity of 11 to 12 degrees accounted for around 59 per cent of total consumption. The share of lighter draught beers continued to decline. Beer specialities also recorded slight growth.

The most popular form of packaging remained the classic returnable glass bottle. However, due to the overall decline in production, volumes fell across almost all packaging types – particularly sharply in the case of PET bottles.